Unless you’ve been staying intentionally offline in the last few years, you’ve probably seen more than your fair share of well-being trends circulating around the internet. Maybe you participated in them, or maybe you let them pass you by, either way, wellness trends are on the rise, especially as we enter the first months of 2025.

Indeed, according to recent surveys, as many as 75% of Brits plan to try at least one of the many popular ongoing well-being trends over the course of 2025. And with New Year’s resolutions being tweaked and adjusted over the course of January, plenty of other UK residents are planning on making 2025 their year of wellness.

So, with this in mind, what were the most popular wellness trends of 2024, and where did the inspiration for them come from? Is social media purely responsible for this boom in healthy living, and perhaps more importantly, are these well-being trends safe to try?

To find out, we surveyed 1,000 Brits across the UK to find out the different ways in which they got involved in last year’s well-being trends. From where they got their wellness inspiration to where in their life they made the most wellness changes, find out what we discovered below!

Where do Brits look for health and wellness inspiration?

Starting with the most common places Brits turn to in order to find wellness inspiration, upwards of 78% of those we spoke to said they went to social media first, with as many as 28% specifically using YouTube, while a further 22% and 20% scrolled TikTok and Instagram respectively for well-being and health advice. Sharing health and well-being information online means that more people can readily access it, allowing more people than ever to learn about the importance of good health and how they can start their own well-being journey.

Interestingly, however, our survey specifically flagged friends and family as the most likely place for Brits to get their well-being inspiration from (33%), as well as 30% searching for this information in wellness magazines and from the NHS.

What big changes did people make in their lives in 2024?

So, given the steadily rising prominence of wellness and health on social media and around the world, what are some of the major life changes Brits decided to make in 2024 as a means to improve their physical and mental well-being?

Well, to start with, 19% of Brits said they’d begun incorporating regular exercise and movement into their daily life – an excellent start and certainly one of the easiest and healthiest lifestyle changes to make!

Alongside this, other popular areas for change also included cutting down on digital device use, with 13% of people looking to spend less time online and on their phones, while another 12% of people said they’d moved to a new city or country to improve wellness!

Going sober (12%), starting a new career (11%), and stopping smoking (7%) all also made the cut, alongside many Brits looking to make substantial changes in the relationship department.

Naturally, relationships play a big part in our own personal well-being, so it’s no surprise that 18% of those we spoke to said they intended to work on rebuilding or strengthening existing relationships, be that with friends, family, or their significant other, while a further 15% also took the bigger step of ending relationships for much the same reasons.

Which were the least successful well-being trends of 2024?

Last, but not least, we looked at which of the most popular well-being trends in the last year have actually stuck the landing and become a regular part of people’s everyday lives.

Starting with arguably the least successful trend, we have the ‘morning shed’ routine. Initially proving rather popular, many respondents said they only stuck with the trend for a few weeks (29%) or months (24%) before giving up, citing physical health issues caused by the practice. In the end, only 5% said they actually ended up making it part of their daily/weekly wellness routine.

Next, we have the sober curiosity challenge. As the name implies, this trend supports experimenting with going sober for extended periods without cutting alcohol entirely. But while 55% of people stuck to it for 1-4 weeks, 0% stuck to it for 6+ months and only 4% made it part of their daily/weekly well-being routine.

The same also appeared to be the case for hot and cold-water therapies, such as regularly using hot tubs, swim spas, saunas, and ice baths, with 46% of participants trying them out for 1-4 weeks and 5% adding it to their regular routine.

Interestingly, while their usage dropped off after a short period of time, many respondents cited seasonality as the main reason or this, rather than experiencing no benefits from their use. And with at least 4% continuing to use them for 6+ months of the year, so it’s clear that you can enjoy the benefits of these at-home spa systems all year round. 

Similarly, the 5-9 before 9-5 challenge also proved rather popular, with a further 43% of participants lasting 1-4 weeks. However, after this, adherence tapered off, with 0% lasting 6+ months, though, impressively, 7% did make it their normal wake-up time.

Which 2024 wellness trends saw the biggest success?

But, with all that being said, there were definitely some trends that saw major success in 2024.

First and foremost, the cortisol face trend, which promotes the idea that cortisol (the stress hormone) causes your face to become round and puffy. Followers of this trend use this ‘knowledge’ as a means of affirmation to improve mental well-being. And it seems to be very popular, with 30% of respondents making this part of their routine through 2024.

Alongside this, the consumption of magnesium supplements also proved to be a sought-after trend last year. Flagged as part of their daily or weekly wellness routine by 28% of those surveyed, magnesium can lower blood pressure and boost bone density, and taking such supplements can help equalise your levels if you’re in a magnesium deficit.

Finally, our third most successful trend was digital detoxing, which became part of the regular wellness routine for 27% of those surveyed. A popular solution for those feeling like they spend too much time online, digital detoxing is about minimising how much you interact with your phone in favour of more beneficial activities, like reading and exercise.

How safe are these online trends?

Although many of the current well-being trends out there might seem harmless on the surface, there’s definitely room for certain popular challenges to negatively impact both your mental and physical well-being.

For example, the 75 hard programme requires strict adherence to a challenging health plan, and failure to complete all daily challenges every day for the full 75 means you have to start from day one again. Naturally, such an intense training and health regime could lead to physical injury, not to mention worsening your mental state if you fail.

Other online trends that could come with safety concerns include cortisol face. While affirmations have certainly proved beneficial for some people, there’s no scientific evidence that cortisol causes face puffiness. But there is a chance that promoting this sort of unverified information could lead to some people ignoring potential health concerns.

Fortunately, for the most part, there is no genuine harm that could come from attempting one or more of the online trends we looked at in our survey. For many, going sober-curious is a great way to reduce alcohol consumption, while hot and cold-water therapies have been used for centuries for their clearly researched and defined health benefits.

Our top tips for successfully introducing well-being trends in 2025

Given how much we’ve touched on well-being and wellness trends over the past year, you might be wondering how you can go about incorporating wellness and health activities like these into your daily routine, which is why we’ve pulled together some expert advice below on the best ways to start (and stick) to your well-being goals:

  • Personalise your routine – to start with, when planning out your wellness strategy, you’ll first want to personalise it to your aims and free time. Everyone’s wellness preferences are different, as are everyone’s schedules, so don’t copy a routine online simply because it sounds good. Instead, take the time to think about how you like to spend your day so you can work out how best to accommodate your wellness goals into what time you have available.
  • Get better sleep – if you want to make real change and progress with your wellness goals, then it’s essential you get the basics of health down to begin with, and that means prioritising sleep. It’s hard not to stress just how important regular, good-quality sleep is for our bodies, and without it, you simply won’t have the energy or willpower to stick to your wellness resolution, so make sure you get a regular sleep schedule sorted and stick to it.
  • Drink more water – similarly to getting enough sleep, drinking enough water throughout the day is paramount to staying healthy. Not only does it make us more alert, but it also helps our minds function more efficiently. In many cases, when we feel tired or hungry, it’s actually just our body telling us to drink water. So, rather than grabbing a coffee or energy drink, grab a glass and go for the tap instead.
  • Get an accountability buddy – for most of us, it can actually be quite hard to stick to a new routine by ourselves, which is why you should find a friend or family member to be your accountability buddy. Whether they’re someone who checks in each day to make sure you’re sticking to your goals, or someone who goes out and does your new routine with you, having a friend by your side can make starting your wellness journey infinitely easier.
  • Cut yourself some slack – at the end of the day, becoming healthier is no easy thing. It takes time and effort and you won’t see results overnight. This can be demoralising for some people and you might feel like giving up if you skip a day or break your new routine. But if you do, cut yourself some slack, acknowledge that you weren’t successful on that day, and then pick up from where you left off. When it comes to wellness, a setback is not a failure, it’s merely a stumbling block along the way.

Indulge in at-home wellness with Platinum Spas

And there you have it; that was our well-being trend report for 2024! It’s clear that well-being and health improvements have grown in popularity in the last year, and will continue to do so well into the future – just remember that not all trends are for everyone, and it’s far more important to find a well-being practice that you enjoy doing than copying everyone online.

And, naturally, if you want to indulge in your own personal wellness, and have a little budget to spare, then why not take a look at the Platinum Spa range? From smaller 3-person hot tubs to substantial 7-person hot tubs, we’ve at-home spa systems to suit all homes.

Get in touch today to find out more or book a visit to your nearest hot tub showroom to see our products in person!

Sarah Watkins
Latest posts by Sarah Watkins (see all)

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